BadAss Actor Blog

Singer/Songwriter/Storyteller Tamara Wellons talks about her experience at TheDreamingOutLoud Oaxaca Retreat in Mexico

3/13/2023

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I am Tamara Wellons and I'm a singer and a songwriter and a budding writer, I would say. I came to the retreat not knowing who I was gonna be with and well, I knew April was gonna be here. I knew Susan. I knew Rachel and Barbara were gonna be here, but I hadn't met them. And Cassie, and this was my first time meeting them.

I would say that the thing that was hardest for me being here was leaving everything behind.

And I am the one who is championing the retreats and take a little time for self-care and all of those things. But that was the one thing that was the hardest for me to do. Um,

I think my writing breakthrough was or is because I think I'm still breaking through it.

It's really just speaking and telling the story and talking instead of just sitting in silence and being with my own thoughts, cuz that's what I really, really like to do all the time.

So, um, I haven't written much, but I'm beginning to tell the story and I really didn't get that until the last date. So, um, there was so many wonderful things that I observed while I was here, just being with people, the culture, learning about the Afro Mexicans while I was here, and just being in the middle of nowhere with the Bio Luminescent River and singing a little bit. All of those, some of my favorite things. Um, and I'm just, you know, so grateful for the experience.

Um, although I really, I really thought, oh my gosh, what am I gonna do when I get here? What am I gonna do? But I left all of that behind and I'm grateful for everything that happened. Every, all of the experiences, I could go on and on actually.

So. And when you weren't writing by hand, how were you telling story?
Um, I had to speak into my voice memo, speak into my phone. That's how I told my stories.

And how did that change the story for you?

Well, one, I get got a chance to hear myself.

I did. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I did. And even in transcribing, I'm like editing myself, like I edit when I write. Mm-hmm. So that's the piece that I'm learning still. Just how to let things be. Anything else?

To those who are aspiring to do anything, um, go for it. Go for it.